A breakdown of the mission aiming to turn space into the next layer of digital infrastructure.
Updated
January 8, 2026 6:32 PM
The Hubble Space Telescope, one of the fist space infrastructures. PHOTO: UNSPLASH
PowerBank Corporation and Smartlink AI, the company behind Orbit AI, are preparing to send a very different kind of satellite into space. Their upcoming mission, scheduled for December 2025, aims to test what they call the world’s first “Orbital Cloud” — a system that moves parts of today’s digital infrastructure off the ground and into orbit. While satellites already handle GPS, TV signals and weather data, this project tries to do something bigger: turn space itself into a platform for computing, artificial intelligence (AI) and secure blockchain-based digital transactions. In essence, it marks the beginning of space-based cloud computing.
To understand why this matters, it is helpful to examine the limitations of our current systems. As AI tools grow more advanced, they require massive data centers that consume enormous amounts of electricity, especially for cooling. These facilities depend on national power grids, face regulatory constraints and are concentrated in just a few regions. Meanwhile, global connectivity still struggles with inequalities, censorship, congestion and geopolitical bottlenecks. The Orbital Cloud is meant to plug these gaps by building a computing and communication layer above Earth — a solar-powered, space-cooled network in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) that no single nation or company fully controls.
Orbit AI’s approach brings together two new systems. The first, called DeStarlink, is a decentralized satellite network designed for global internet-style connectivity and resilient communication. The second, DeStarAI, is a set of AI-focused in-orbit data centers placed directly on satellites, using space’s naturally cold environment instead of the energy-hungry cooling towers used on Earth. When these two ideas merge, the result is a floating digital layer where information can be transmitted, processed and verified without touching terrestrial infrastructure — a key shift in how AI workloads and cloud computing may be handled in the future.
PowerBank enters the picture by supplying the electricity and temperature-control technology needed to keep these satellites running. In space, sunlight is constant and uninterrupted — no clouds, no storms, no nighttime periods where panels lie idle. PowerBank plans to provide high-efficiency solar arrays and adaptive thermal systems that help the satellites manage heat in orbit. This collaboration marks a shift for PowerBank, which is expanding from traditional solar and battery projects into the realm of digital infrastructure, AI energy systems and next-generation satellite technology.
Describing the ambition behind this move, Dr. Richard Lu, CEO of PowerBank, said: “The next frontier of human innovation isn't just in space exploration, it's in building the infrastructure of tomorrow above the Earth”. He pointed to a future market that could surpass US$700 billion, driven by orbital satellites, AI computing in space, blockchain verification and solar-powered data systems. Integrating solar energy with orbital computing, he said, could help create “a globally sovereign, AI-enabled digital layer in space, which is a system that can help power finance, communications and critical infrastructure”.
Orbit AI’s Co-Founder and CEO, Gus Liu, describes their satellites as deliberately autonomous and intelligent. “Orbit AI is creating the first truly intelligent layer in orbit — satellites that compute, verify and optimize themselves autonomously”, he said, “The Orbital Cloud turns space into a platform for AI, blockchain and global connectivity. By leveraging solar-powered compute payloads and decentralized verification nodes, we are opening an entirely new, potentially US$700+ billion-dollar market opportunity — one that combines energy, data and sovereignty to reshape industries from finance to government and Web3. PowerBank's expertise in advanced solar energy systems will be significant in supporting this initiative."
This vision is not isolated. Earlier this year, Jeff Bezos echoed a similar idea at Italian Tech Week, saying: “We will be able to beat the cost of terrestrial data centres in space in the next couple of decades. These giant training clusters will be better built in space, because we have solar power there, 24/7 — no clouds, no rain, no weather. The next step is going to be data centres and then other kinds of manufacturing.” His comments reflect a growing industry belief that space-based data centers will eventually outperform those on Earth.
The idea gains traction because the advantages are practical. Space offers free, constant solar power. It provides natural cooling, which is one of the costliest parts of running data centers on Earth. And above all, satellites in low-Earth orbit operate beyond national firewalls and political boundaries, making them more resilient to outages, censorship and conflict. For industries that rely heavily on secure connectivity and real-time data — finance, defense, AI, blockchain networks and global cloud providers — this could become an important alternative layer of infrastructure.
The upcoming Genesis-1 satellite is designed as a demonstration mission. It will test an Ethereum wallet, run a blockchain verification node and perform simple AI tasks in orbit. If the technology works as expected, Orbit AI plans to add several more satellites in 2026, expand into larger networks by 2027 and 2028 and begin full commercial operations by the decade’s end.
To build this system, Orbit AI plans to source technologies from some of the world’s most influential players: NVIDIA for AI processors, the Ethereum Foundation for blockchain tools, Galaxy Space and SparkX Satellite for satellite components, Galactic Energy for launch systems and AscendX Aerospace for advanced materials.
If successful, the Orbital Cloud could become the first step toward a world where part of humanity’s data, computing power and digital services run not in massive buildings on Earth, but in clusters of autonomous satellites illuminated by constant sunlight. For now, the journey begins with a single launch — a test satellite aiming to show that space can do far more than connect us. It may soon help power the systems that run our economies, technologies and global communication networks.
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Examining how robots are moving from demonstrations to daily use.
Updated
January 8, 2026 6:22 PM
An industrial robotic arm capable of autonomous welding. PHOTO: ADOBE STOCK
CES 2026 did not frame robotics as a distant future or a technological spectacle. Instead, it highlighted machines designed for the slow, practical work of fitting into human systems. Across the show floor, robots were no longer performing for attention but being shaped by real-world constraints—space, safety, fatigue and repetition.
They appeared in factories, homes, emergency settings and industrial sites, each responding to a specific kind of human limitation. Together, these four robots reveal how robotics is being redefined: not as a replacement for people, but as infrastructure that quietly takes on work humans are least meant to carry alone.
Hyundai Motor unveiled its electric humanoid robot, Atlas, during a media day on January 5, 2026, at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center in Las Vegas as part of CES 2026. Developed with Boston Dynamics, Hyundai’s U.S.-based robotics subsidiary, Atlas was presented in two forms: a research prototype and a commercial model designed for real factory environments.
Shown under the theme “AI Robotics, Beyond the Lab to Life: Partnering Human Progress,” Atlas is designed to work alongside humans rather than replace them. The premise is straightforward—robots take on physically demanding and repetitive tasks such as sorting and assembly, while people focus on work requiring judgment, creativity and decision-making.
Built for industrial use, the commercial version of Atlas is designed to adapt quickly, with Hyundai stating it can learn new tasks within a day. Its adult-sized humanoid form features 56 degrees of freedom, enabling flexible, human-like movement. Tactile sensors in its hands and a 360-degree vision system support spatial awareness and precise operation.
Atlas is also engineered for demanding conditions. It can lift up to 50 kilograms, operate in temperatures ranging from –20°C to 40°C and is waterproof, making it suitable for challenging factory settings.
Looking ahead, Hyundai expects Atlas to begin with parts sorting and sequencing by 2028, move into assembly by 2030 and later take on precision tasks that require sustained physical effort and focus.
Widemount’s Smart Firefighting Robot is designed to operate in environments that are difficult and dangerous for humans to enter. Developed by Widemount Dynamics, a spinout from the Hong Kong Polytechnic University, the robot is built to support emergency teams during fires, particularly in enclosed and smoke-filled spaces.
The robot can move through buildings and industrial facilities even when visibility is near zero. Rather than relying on cameras or GPS, it uses radar-based mapping to understand its surroundings and determine a safe path forward. This allows it to continue operating when smoke, heat or debris would normally restrict access.
As it approaches a fire, the robot analyses the burning object. Its onboard AI helps identify the material involved and selects an appropriate extinguishing method. Sensors simultaneously assess flame intensity and send real-time updates to command centres, giving responders clearer situational awareness.
When actively fighting a fire, the robot can aim directly at the source and deploy extinguishing agents autonomously. The system continuously adjusts its actions based on incoming sensor data, reducing the need for constant human intervention during high-risk situations.
At CES 2026, LG Electronics offered a glimpse into how household work could gradually shift from people to machines. The company introduced LG CLOiD, an AI-powered home robot designed to manage everyday chores by working directly with connected appliances within LG’s ThinQ ecosystem.
Designed for indoor living spaces, CLOiD features a compact upper body with two articulated arms, a head unit and a wheeled base that enables steady movement across floors. Its torso can tilt to adjust height, allowing it to reach items placed low or on kitchen counters. The arms and hands are built for careful handling, enabling the robot to grip common household objects rather than heavy tools. The head also functions as a mobile control unit, housing cameras, sensors, a display and voice interaction capabilities for communication and monitoring.
In practice, CLOiD acts as a task coordinator. It can retrieve items from appliances, operate ovens and washing machines and manage laundry cycles from start to finish, including folding and stacking clothes. By connecting multiple devices through the ThinQ system, the robot turns separate appliances into a single, coordinated workflow.
These capabilities are supported by LG’s Physical AI system. CLOiD uses vision to recognise objects and interpret its surroundings, language processing to understand instructions and action control to execute tasks step by step. Together, these systems allow the robot to follow routines, respond to user input and adjust task execution over time.
Doosan Robotics introduced Scan & Go at CES 2026, an AI-driven robotic system designed to automate large-scale surface repair and inspection. The solution targets environments with complex, irregular surfaces that are difficult to pre-program, such as aircraft structures, wind turbine blades and large industrial installations.
Scan & Go operates by scanning surfaces on site and building an understanding of their shape in real time. Instead of relying on detailed digital models or manual coding, the system plans its movements based on live data. This enables it to adapt to variations in size, curvature and surface condition without extensive setup.
The underlying technology combines 3D sensing with AI-based motion planning. The system interprets surface data, generates tool paths and refines its actions as work progresses. In practical terms, this reduces manual intervention while maintaining consistency across large work areas.
By handling surface preparation and inspection tasks that are time-consuming and physically demanding, Scan & Go is positioned as a support tool for industrial teams operating at scale.
Taken together, these robots signal a clear shift in how machines are being designed and deployed. Across factories, homes, emergency sites and industrial infrastructure, robotics is moving beyond demonstrations and into practical roles that support human work.
The unifying theme is not replacement, but relief—robots taking on tasks that are repetitive, hazardous or physically demanding. CES 2026 suggests that robotics is evolving from spectacle to utility, with a growing focus on systems that adapt to real environments, respond to genuine constraints and integrate into everyday workflows.